


Sleep on my Shoulder

by TheAzureFox



Category: Puzzle & Dragons (Video Game), Puzzles & Dragons X (Anime)
Genre: M/M, sleepy bois in the middle of a storm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 09:24:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12273552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAzureFox/pseuds/TheAzureFox
Summary: On the run, Lance and Ace retreat into a cave in the middle of a blizzard. Dominion's on their trail but all Ace can think about is...Lance sleeping on his shoulder?(LancexAce. Technical gameverse and animeverse)





	Sleep on my Shoulder

There are many things Ace expected on this journey. Evil gangs, friendly people, dragons…he’s expected a lot of a typical adventure.

However, what he did not plan for is the sleeping Lance who lays on his shoulder.

Soft snoring fills the air as the boy rests beside Ace, eyes closed. They’re in a cave together, retreating from the blizzard that rages on outside. Devi and Tama are already unconscious, both companions resting near the fire that crackles in front of them. However, unlike the three of them, Ace can’t sleep a wink. He’s too focused on Lance, on the way the boy is settled on his shoulder or that he is completely unaware of how Ace feels right now. The ginger boy’s face is bright red and he’s acutely aware of the close proximity between him and Lance.

He’d slap his cheeks if he could. He’d pinch his cheeks if he could move his right arm from out under the boy. But he doesn’t want to disturb Lance. The platinum-blond had done a lot of work that day and it would feel unfair to Ace if any sudden movement caused his partner a disruption to his sleep.

He tightens his left hand, gripping Lance’s cloak with frustration. The garment had been their idea of a temporary blanket, the only other form of protection aside from the fire against the cold and the clothes they already wore. Devi and Tama were unaffected by the icy temperatures; they were monsters, after all, and were not as easily frozen. Ace, however, felt the cold in the depths of his bones. Blizzards were no joke, and if not for the cave, their fire, and Lance’s cape, he’s sure he’d be freezing to death. But, before he dies of frostbite, he’s going to die from an overload of cuteness.

Lance shifts in his sleep and Ace gulps unsurely. Is he going to wake up? Is he going to catch Ace staring at him like some sort of creeper? He can always play dumb, of course, but, as it is now, Lance knows him far too well. It’s almost scary how predictable his actions are to Lance. His rival is as smart as he is sharp and sometimes it’s scary. Of course, Lance is, in a way, predictable too, and he remembers all too well how his knowledge on the other has affected them both. Lance was rarely emotional but there had been times where Ace had seen him breakdown, had seen him cry and yell and scream. Those moments were shattering, heartbreaking, and Ace could only grimace as the memories appeared in his mind. He’d wanted to hug Lance in all those moments, to hush the boy whose worries battered at his self, whose emotions had to be pinned to a wall lest they send him drowning. But the distance between them is far, far enough that he hates himself. He can’t always be there for the prince of ice, for the heir of the Dragon Callers, for his mentor, his rival, his partner, and his friend.

Warmth tickles his sides as Lance moves closer. Ace breathes in sharply, surprised, and finds his heart is beating faster than it should. Can Lance feel it, the pounding agony that is driving himself insane? Can he tell that Ace is troubled by his close proximity, that he needs to sleep and the fatigue is getting to him but the red flush that overtakes his face and the nervous sweat on his neck is keeping him from losing conscious? Can Lance tell that Ace keeps unconsciously breathing in the air from the cape that swathes him, that he’s inhaling the scent that smells like kindness and calmness, like the dragons that Lance constantly walks among? His head spins with the ideas, his arm goes numb, the pressure placed upon it numbing away any form of circulation. He’s going to have to do something soon. He’s going to have to move his arm and then he’s going to have to move Lance but where can he move the boy without him –

“Ace?”

\- waking up…?

“L-Lance!” he takes in a couple of deep breaths, dimming the red color that stains his face. “I thought you were sleeping!”

“I heard something,” the boy rubs at his eyes and yawns, a sudden alertness blooming in his eyes. He pulls himself away from Ace’s shoulder, oblivious to the proximity between them. “You?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” he admits. The spot where Lance no longer sits feels empty and cold. He wants it to be warm again.

“You should sleep,” the boy scolds him. “We need to get moving. Who knows when Dominion will be after us?”

“It’s insomnia,” Ace responds. Automatically. He curses his tongue.

Lance stares at him. Golden eyes scrutinize him for a long moment, probably less than a second but to Ace, it almost seems like days.

The platinum-blond turns away, gazing over at their companions. Devi and Tama are still sleeping, deep in slumber. Ace doesn’t expect them to wake anytime soon. They’re like dragons in hibernation and it takes too much work to wake them up as they are now.

Lance tugs his cape closer to Ace. “Go to sleep,” he tells the ginger. “I’ll keep watch.”

“You sure?” Ace furrows his eyebrows as he looks at the scrunched up bit of cloak.

“I think I’ve already slept enough as it is. Besides, you need it more than me.”

He’s hesitant. He doesn’t think he can. But Lance seems insistent and he’s unsure if he can say no. He wants sleep, really, he does. But he also wants to remain awake, to be alert and wary because he’s not sure what nonsense he’ll mutter while in his sleep.

But, he’s tired. It’s been a long day and, now that Lance is no longer occupying his shoulder, he can’t help but bury himself into the cape that smells of dragons and mountains and of the scents that he has gathered along the way. It’s a comforting aroma, one he’s almost too timid to admit he likes, but he sighs and nestles in, ready to drift off. Lance shifts ever so softly, his every movement loud despite the obvious intent to remain quiet. Ace feels the blanket being pulled across him but he can’t react. His eyes are drooping now that they are given the chance.

He’s asleep in no more than twenty seconds.

~~~

Lance is quiet as he reflects upon the sight outside. Snowflakes drift past him, past the cavern mouth and down onto the rocky ground that does not remain covered by the ceiling overhead. The stars are gone, blanketed by a cloud of dark, dark gray and the white pieces that crumble down into mounds. Cold assaults his skin, tearing at his being until numbness begins to barely tingle.

Ace shifts in his sleep and Lance glances at him. The boy is fast asleep, oblivious to the world. Lance wishes he can be that way. He wishes he can just relax, to let go of his grip on reality and to blow away all the emotions he keeps hidden. He’s not by all means stoic, he just can’t express himself properly in front of his own race. Dragons are easy to talk to. They listen, they sympathize, but they don’t judge. Not easily. Humans, however, are quick to leap to conclusions. He’s the prince of ice, he’s the prodigy of the age, the boy with all the answers. He’s a Dragon Caller, he’s professional and he doesn’t need help. How wrong they are. He acts tough and he knows it. He values maturity, but he also knows that he is withering on the inside.

“Stop!” Ace suddenly screeches out and Lance nearly flinches. He runs to the boy’s side. “Stop, stop stop stop stop stop!”

Ace is clutching at his head, screaming at nightmares that Lance cannot see. The platinum-blond frowns, biting at his lower lip. He hates being unable to help. He hates seeing people suffering. He hates seeing Ace twisting and turning, yelling in agony.

“It’s okay, Ace, it’s okay,” he clasps both of Ace’s arms and brings him closer. He doesn’t know what to do, he doesn’t know how to react, so he just shoves Ace close to him, wrapping his arms around the boy. “You’re fine. Don’t worry.”

Ugh, what is he supposed to say? Ace can’t hear him, there’s no way Lance can do anything without waking him but he wants to. Desperately. The shrieks his rival is giving are making him nervous. He hates not being able to keep Ace relieved and happy.

Fingers dig into his shirt. “Lance, you can’t! Lance, stop!”

Hearing his name spoken so anxiously makes the boy shiver. He wonders what the boy is thinking of, what imaginary version of him is coaxing his mind into utter terror. He knows Ace knows his secrets, he knows the boy can read his mind, his actions. In a way, it’s like they’re brothers. Their intimate knowledge on one another is almost scary, but it’s also scarier to think of what the other person is capable of. Lance remembers all too well the feeling of turning on Ace, of drawing from his anger and frustration until he became a living puppet of destruction…but he shakes them off.

“Ace,” he murmurs, drawing his cape around the back of the boy in his arms. “I’m here. I’m safe. Don’t worry about me. It’s just a dream.”

The boy doesn’t wake up. Instead, he presses himself against Lance, fingers digging tighter into his shirt. Lance’s voice seems to reassure him so the boy continues speaking, whispering promises of safety until Ace no longer shakes.

“Don’t leave me,” Ace says, and Lance wonders if the boy is awake. Instead, he is faced with a red-faced dreamer whose nightmares are controlling his words.

“I won’t,” he sighs, glancing out at the blizzard that rages outside. There’s not much he can watch out for and, besides, fatigue is creeping back on him again. He places Ace back on the floor of the cave, carefully, with his cape still settled over him. Then, he leans against the wall, eyes already dropping. Ace shifts again, but it is in a more calming way. The horrors that had assaulted him seemed to have abided and Lance is glad. The platinum-blond smiles and closes his eyes.

When he awakes, he is curled beside Ace, his cape shared between them.

When he awakes, Devi and Tama look at him knowingly, devilish smirks on their faces. Lance’s eyes widen and he feels like he's somehow been caught doing something wrong by the both of them. 

“You saw everything, didn’t you?” he asks them, tentatively. 

“Aww,” Devi says, looking between him and Ace. “It was so cute to watch you comfort him.”

“Shut up,” he tells his partner, sinking under his cape.

He’s not sure he wants to ask if Ace is awake.


End file.
